Other stories in "Hiking"

• Isle Royale reverie
  Whichever face it shows, the Lake Superior wilderness is beguiling.
• Bird walks
  In spring, a symphony of trills and chirps draws hikers into the woods.
• Hiking Duluth
  The city sections of the Superior Hiking Trail are spectacular.
• Quiet time on the North Shore
  Late fall is marked by stark beauty, cheaper stays and the gales of November.
• 12 great fall hikes
  For a perfect day, hit the trail and do some sightseeing, too.
• King of the hill
  With a huff and a puff, hikers earn a view of fall colors.
• Duluth walks
  Trails along creeks, ravines and bays provide stellar hiking in the heart of town.
• Goin' on a treasure hunt
  We jump on the geocaching bandwagon and get hooked.
• Along for the walk
  In fall, join a group hike through the glowing forest.
• Devil's heaven
  In the Baraboo Hills, a splendid park makes people come running.
• Tracing the Ice Age Trail
  In Wisconsin, a slow-moving monolith left a playground for weekend wanderers.
• Hikes with benefits
  For exercise as well as edification, tag along with an expert.
• Six ways to walk the Superior Hiking Trail
  On a guided trip, you can pay a lot or a little.
• Trek to Timm's Hill
  The highest point in Wisconsin is the gateway to a forest full of trails.
• Peak hiking
  For Highpointers, nothing but a summit will do.
• Walk 'n' roll
  Thanks to a bike trail, backtracking on the Superior Hiking Trail is a thing of the past.
• Preventing Lyme disease
  Bite of a deer tick can cause major headache.

Hiking the North Shore

For most, it's the preferred way to soak up the scenery.

It took me nearly 20 years of hiking on the North Shore to tackle Eagle Mountain.

It’s the highest point in Minnesota, but it’s not exactly on the shore; it’s 14 miles inland, as the crow flies. I was used to tramping along the rocky river gorges whose horehound-tinted waters rivers boil furiously down to Lake Superior; I was used to drama.

But the 3½-mile hike up 2,301-foot Eagle Mountain was just as dramatic. The path, a root-choked corridor through cedars and spruce, soon enters the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Passing through bogs, partly on boardwalks, it skirts mirrorlike Whale Lake, then picks its way through gantlets of rock up to the top, where hikers gaze upon a spectacular panorama that includes the North Fork of the Cascade River and Zoo, Shrike and Eagle lakes, set amid waves of greens and yellow.

The actual summit is obscured by bushes, but rock cairns point the way to a plaque and a box, which holds a notebook in which hikers register their impressions: “I’ve climbed Eagle Mountain; what’s left?’’ wrote Jeff of Lakeville.

There’s no such thing as a bad hike on the North Shore — or if there is, I haven’t found it.

I started with ever-popular Oberg Mountain and then developed other favorites, such as the trails along the Upper Cascade and the Kadunce north of Grand Marais. Usually, I hiked in the state parks, but once I stopped at the nondescript Ray Bergland Memorial State Wayside, on the hunch there might be a nice trail from there. And there was, a beauty that followed the Onion River to a waterfall.

Since then, the Superior Hiking Trail has incorporated many of my hikes into its 275-mile system, which starts in Jay Cooke State Park and follows a ridgeline above Lake Superior from Duluth to the Canadian border. Cutting along the flank of the Sawtooth Mountains, at some points more than 1,000 feet above Lake Superior, it crosses dozens of creeks and rivers, many also lined with trails.

Hiking can be good in spring, when there are few people on the trail. In summer, the tree canopy keeps much of it shaded. But fall is everyone’s favorite time to hike. Most people try to hit peak fall color, generally the last week of September and first week of October. But late fall also is good; only mountain-ash berries provide color, but muddy trails harden and falling leaves open up new vistas.

Hiking still is good into November, when hotel rates drop. Just remember to wear blaze-orange or red — the deer-hunting firearms season starts Nov. 8 in 2008, and the Lake County part of the Superior Hiking Trail will close (Cook County, which is virtually all Superior National Forest, starts five miles east of Little Marais and continues to the Canadian border).

For details on hunting and the Superior Hiking Trail, see the SHTA web site. The grouse and bear seasons start in September and moose season in October, so it's a good idea to wear bright colors all fall..

These are some of the most popular hikes:

Gooseberry Falls State Park. Few miss this picturesque park, which straddles the highway. Eighteen miles of trails wind through the park, but most people will want to spend their time clambering around on the lumpy floes of ancient lava that hold up Upper and Lower Falls, and down to the river's mouth on Lake Superior.

Split Rock River loop. The trail starts four miles north of Gooseberry, at the mouth of the Split Rock River; there’s a parking area. It’s five miles up the west side of the red-rock gorge and back down the other side.

Tettegouche State Park. From the office, a trail follows the Baptism River and merges with the Superior Hiking Trail. At High Falls, the tallest waterfall completely within the state, it crosses a suspension bridge, heads back and crosses again at Two Steps Falls. And don't miss the half-mile trail to Shovel Point, where basalt headlands form a coastline that looks more like northern California than Minnesota. The view, which includes Palisade Head to the south, is incomparable.

Temperance River State Park. Trails at this park, named because the river has no bar at its mouth, follow the tortuous course of the Temperance River, seething and twisting like a flume ride from hell. Pebbles in the swirling water have scraped potholes in the riverbed and in the sides of the gorge.

Carlton Peak. This massive pile of volcanic rock, whose 924-foot summit commands a spectacular view up and down the shore, is three miles north of Temperance via the Superior Hiking Trail. The other way to reach it is by driving three miles up the Sawbill Trail to the parking lot at Britton Peak; from there, it’s three miles round-trip.

Oberg Mountain. This two-mile hike probably is the most popular on the shore, especially in fall, when overlooks provide views of the mountain’s inland maple forest. Take Forest Road 336, or Onion River Road, two miles to a parking area. Cross the road to the trail; after a short distance, turn onto the 1.8-mile Oberg loop, which winds around the summit. From the other side of the parking area, the Superior Hiking Trail leads to Leveaux Mountain. It’s a mile to a spur trail that goes to the summit.

Lutsen to the Caribou Trail (County Road 4). This popular stretch cuts through maple forest, passing lovely Lake Agnes.

Cascade River State Park. The trails that hug both sides of this river are popular with everyone, especially children. If they’re surefooted, they can jump from boulder to boulder and watch the river crash down to the lake. Don't miss the Upper Cascade, where the trail is lined with old cedars and feathery ferns and hikers can sit on the shore watching the river tumble over a series of small falls.

Eagle Mountain: The trailhead can be reached from Grand Marais by taking County Road 7 to Forest Road 48, then 158 to its junction with 153. It's a little simpler to take the Caribou Trail, or County Road 4, from Lutsen to Forest Road 153; from there, it's about four miles east to the trailhead. Fill out a registration form and put it in the box before hiking. It’s a difficult trail; wear thick-soled shoes or boots. It’s seven miles round-trip; allow three to four hours for the hike itself and, until first frost, bring insect repellent.

Devil Track River. On the rim of this deep, narrow canyon is a 2.4-mile stretch of the Superior Hiking Trail, with views of the red cliffs and waterfalls below. To get there, drive five miles north of Grand Marais to County Road 58 and turn; there’s a parking area on the left.

Kadunce River. From a wayside 10 miles north of Grand Marais, a trail follows the rust-tinted waters of the Kadunce through its narrow gorge. It’s a spectacular and intimate little hike, 1½ miles round-trip, and the cobblestone beach opposite the wayside is one of the shore’s prettiest.

Judge C.R. Magney State Park. Trails in this park, named after the populist who proclaimed, "Our state parks are everyman's country estate,'' follow the Brule River past three waterfalls: the Lower, the Upper and Devil’s Kettle. At the Devil’s Kettle, the river splits, half cascading 50 feet into a pool and the other disappearing into a pothole; no one know where it ends up. It’s 2½ miles round-trip.

Grand Portage State Park. The Pigeon River, which marks the international border, is the largest on the North Shore and was the bane of voyageurs. Its lower 20 miles, a series of cataracts and chasms, is unnavigable, so the paddlers had to make an 8½-mile uphill portage to its upper waters.

Today, visitors can follow a half-mile, handicapped-accessible trail to the state's tallest waterfall, gorgeous High Falls, cascading 120 feet over a sheer basalt wall. The Middle Falls Trail goes farther, over ridge tops, about three miles.

Trip Tips: Hiking the North Shore

What to know: Allow an hour for each 1½ miles. Bring water and snacks and be prepared for sudden weather changes.

Superior Hiking Trail Association: This non-profit volunteer group maintains the route. The headquarters in Two Harbors, at 731 Highway 61 (Seventh Avenue), sells memberships and gives out information. Stop by or call 218-834-2700, www.shta.org. The group’s 2007 "Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail’’ (Ridgeline Press, $15.95) is very useful. Hikers who plan a through-hike or want to do extensive camping may want to join the trail e-mail group, whose members dispense valuable advice.

Guided hikes: The Superior Hiking Trail Association leads free hikes throughout the year (in winter, on snowshoes), including naturalist briefings and shuttles that get hikers to the trailhead. Reservations aren’t needed; just show up. Check the web site for dates.

Shuttles: Superior Shuttle offers shuttles Friday-Sunday from mid-May to mid-October, 218-834-5511 or 612-803-8453, www.superiorshuttle.com.

At many points on the Superior Hiking Trail, hikers can shuttle themselves by stashing their bikes at the end of a hike, then returning to their starting point by riding on the Gitchi Gami Trail. For details, see Walk 'n' Roll.

Last updated on October 22, 2008